Hit - Starring Adam Carolla, Oswaldo Castillo, Heather Juergensen

Jerry Ferro’s (Carolla) 40th birthday has caused him to reevaluate his life goals. Once a promising boxer, Jerry returns to the ring to see if he still has a chance at making a name for himself. While persuing newfound life goals, he ends up falling in love.

The reviews for this movie came in before I was able to see it, and they were all correct. Ebert and Roper called it one of the “Three to See,” and it was worth paying to see it in theatres.

Luckily I was able to see this film at a local theatre, and it was a good thing that I saw it when I did, because one week later it was no longer available for that theatre. My husband and I ended up going because we heard on the Adam Carolla morning show that he was going to be appearing at the theatre to answer questions about the film and to introduce the last showing. I was surprised when there was not a sold out crowd for both showings but it was nice to talk with Adam in a smaller setting.

His dedication for the film is amazing as he put up the money to be able to have the film come to theatres for a limited engagement.

This film is one of the better films that I have seen this year because of the amount of heart put into the film. You can tell this is a labor of love from the beginning to the end. I feel we don’t see enough films like this these days.

To keep this review short I will only talk about my favorite scene which is the one where Jerry is wearing headphones while jumping rope. We can sometimes hear the music he is listening to, but then it cuts to how others perceive him when they cannot hear the music. This contrast made for one of the funniest scenes I have seen in a long time. Nice work!

Bottom Line: If it is playing in a theatre near you, you should go see it. Otherwise, put it on your list of movies to see on DVD. I will absolutely be purchasing this film when it comes out.

Comedy

Rated R for brief language. (Which is rather surprising because it didn’t seem like an R rated film)

Running Time: 1 hour 28 minutes

Miss - Starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

Loosely based on a true story; Six MIT students are trained to become card counting experts. Lead by their MIT professor, the students take Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos for millions of dollars.

Although the premise of this movie is intriguing, the actual film itself is rubbish. Things started to go sour when I realized that I was so bothered by the soundtrack because it didn’t fit the film or the mood of the film at all. There is really something to be said about a poorly selected soundtrack. There were only two songs in the film that I felt actually worked well with the movie, but unfortunately, that is not enough.

The performances of the actors were very good, but in this particular film, it isn’t enough to make it an enjoyable picture to watch.

Before I went to see this movie I started to read the book “Bringing Down the House,” which is novel that the film is based off of; although I was only 4 chapters in at the time, I felt the book was already way better than anything on screen.

The main problem with this movie was sequence and writing. There was something overly “Hollywood” to this film. Why was it necessary to change the race of the lead character? Do they think people wouldn’t see this film otherwise? This thought is rather peculiar. In addition, at one point in the film, the card crew decide to shake things up and turn the tables a bit, but the turning point seemed more of a hollywood cliche then it did an interesting and thoughtful turn of events.

Bottom Line: Read the book.

Dramaction - I have decided to coin a new term (if this has not already been coined) called “dramaction” which marries the words “Drama” and “Action” to create this wonderful hybrid word.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.

Running Time: 2 hours 3 minutes

Hit - Starring Amy Adams, Frances McDormand, Lee Pace

Guinevere Pettigrew, a London nanny, finds herself in desperate need of job, ASAP. An attempt to gain new employment sends her unknowingly into the glamorous world and busy social schedule of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.

Although there is a war going on, Delysia (Adams) has more important things to worry about… like how to keep her three love interests from finding out about each other. This premise conjures up quite a delightful tale of what choice is the best choice when it comes to love. Adams is once again spectacular in a role that was simply made for her. She is dimwitted and yet sharp at the same time; which creates a well rounded lead character for the film. Miss Pettigrew is just along for the ride and takes her role as a social secretary quite seriously (even though she thought the position was for a nanny). Francis McDormand creates wonderful depth to a bland, yet quick character.

The dialogue, writing, and wardrobe of this movie is simply fabulous. The story itself is cute and simple, and the men in the movie will give you a sweet tooth - they may even persuade you to watch “Pushing Daisies” on ABC.

Bottom Line: Miss Pettigrew certainly lives for a day!

Comedy

Rated PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo.

Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes.